Portraits of Youths In Holy Quran and the History of Islam

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Amina Begum : The Brilliant DaughterOf Allamah Majlisi

The family ofAllamah Majlisi has to its credit incomparable services for the cause of Islam four hundred years ago in Iran especially and the world in general.Allamah Majlisi is known as Majlisi, the second. He was the son of Mulla MuhammadTaqi Majlisi or Majlisi, the first; and his name was Mulla Muhammad Baqir. He is the author of the Islamic Encyclopedia titled,Biharul Anwar . Both these gentlemen are objects of pride for the whole Shia community and are greatly venerated in Iran. The father and son, both were like shoreless oceans of knowledge. They had presence of mind and were intelligent to a degree of perfection. It would not be misplaced to say that the two Majlisi’s left a heritage of writings that are the foundations of a revivalist movement in the Shia religion. Majlisi, the first had a long list of students who went on to become great scholars of their own standing. The name that heads this list is that of Mullah Salih Mazandarani.

Mullah Salih Mazandarani was such a sincere and serious student that he was always immersed in his pursuits of knowledge.However he was very weak financially and had to undergo many difficulties during the period of his education. He didn’t evenhad enough to purchase a lamp to study at night. His father was also not able to provide assistance to his son.

When Mulla Salih arrived in Isfahan for religious studies he had already completed much of education in spite of his young age.Thus when he arrived in Isfahan he easily got admission in the religious college of MullaTaqi Majlisi. Within a shorttime he had earned a place of honor in the view of his teacher and other students due to his sincerity and exceptional talents.

Though he had reached the age of marriage he was still a bachelor.Thus his teacherAllamah Majlisi thought that it was a pity that such a good student who was an example for others should remain unmarried.Hence he decided to see that he is married as soon as possible.

One day after the classAllamah Majlisi called Mulla Salih and said to him, “If you say, I can get you married so that you are freed from the troublesome life of bachelorhood?” Mulla Salih bowed down his head before his teacher implying his willingness.

Allamah Majlisi came home and told his daughter Amina Begum, who was herself an accomplished scholar of religion and had literary expertise, “I have found a husband for you, who though weak financially has no equal in terms of merits, excellence and knowledge. But now you have to take a decision about it. I am waiting so that you may inform me.”

The chaste and intelligent daughter said to her father respectfully, “Dear father! Poverty and financial problems are no defects for men.” In this way she expressed her willingness.Thus at an auspicious hour the two were married and Mulla Salih brought his bride to the bridal chamber.

When the son-in-law moved the veil and looked at the beautiful face of thebride he thanked Allah and then went into a corner of the room and immersed himself in study.

By chance he came across a problem that he could not solve. No matter how many books he referred he could not find the answer. At last the bride

herself asked, “Tell me what the problem is and which book would have the solution to it?

At last it was dawn and the son-in-law left the house without having touched the bride and headed towards his classes. Amina Begum came to the study table to see the problem that her husband had failed to resolve. She found the solution to it and also noted down the reference of the book that contained the answer.

Mulla Salih returned home and as was his practice sat down to study. He was surprised to find that his wife Amina Begum had solved the problem and also noted down the references in her own handwriting. That very moment he spread the prayer rug and spent the whole night in worship and continued to thank Allah. Three days passed in the same manner and Mulla Salih did not even speak to his wife.

When Mulla Majlisi came to know about it he called his son-in-law and asked him, “If you do not like my daughter, I can look for another woman for you to marry.”

Mulla Salih replied, “It is not that I do not like your righteous and brilliant daughter. Rather I want to thank Allah about it as much as I can for giving me such a wife. But I know that how much ever I thank for it I found it to be less.Therefore I remain engrossed in worship.”

When Mulla Majlisi heard this from his gifted son-in-law and intelligent student, he said, “Yes, it is true that if a person confesses that he is deficient in thanking Allah to the degree He is deserving of it, Allah includes him among the thankful ones.”

Amina Begum was a pious lady and herself a jurist of Islamic law. She also wrote books on religious laws. In addition to this she also assisted her brother Mulla Baqir Majlisi in collecting traditions and making arrangements for his magnum opus,Biharul Anwar. Even her husband Mulla Salih used to seek her counsel on the text ofAllamah Hilli’s Qawaid and benefit from her advice.

We should also know that many great personalities of Shia Islam came into existence through this accomplished lady. The great WahidBehbahani ,Allamah Bahrul Uloom , Sayyid AliTabatabai (writer ofRiyaz ) andAllamah Burujardi of the current age and many other great Shia luminaries belong to her lineage. A noteworthy point about this lady is that both her father and husband were geniuses of their own times.Muhaddith Qummi writes inQawaidur Rizvia that the Late Majlisi the first, writes in the explanation of the chapter of the Prayer of the Dead from the bookMan LaYahzarul Faqih : By the grace of Allah, I know these gentlemen since the last four years. They had sincere faith in Allah, prayers, heaven and hell as if they were before their eyes. They used to perform the midnight prayer. They used to recite the Morning Prayer in congregation. They used to impart good advice to the children, and obtain the knowledge of Quranic verses and traditions from their respected father.”

WahidBehbahani writes in his journalIjtihad al-Akhbar : “My grandfather, Mulla Salih had written marginal notes onMaalim when he was very young. Whoever reads these notes is astonished how he could have penned them at such a tender age?”

Fazil Hindi : A Child ProdigyAnd An Intelligent Youth

There is an intellectual among our scholars who led a life of anonymity. His name was Muhammad ibn Hasan ibn MuhammadIsfahani , and he was known by the appellation ofFazil -e-Hindi. If he is called as a great personality it is not beyond reality because he was indeed a great personality but what is actually needed is to bring out his personality from the shadows of anonymity. This is so because he was not an ordinary scholar; he has to his credit great services in the field of knowledge.

This great personality was born in 1062 A.H. in Isfahan and since he had traveled to India (Hindustan) during his childhood he began to be addressed asFazil -e-Hindi.

His father Tajuddin Hasan ibn MuhammadIsfahani was among the great scholars of his time. He is the writer of the commentary ofBaher -e-Mawaj .

Fazil -e-Hindi is not known to the general readers, not even among the scholars. But the religious jurisprudents and the great Shia intellectuals know him well. Al-Hajj Mirza Husain Noori narrates from his teacher ShaykhIraqain that the writer ofJawahir has expressed great trust in the book ofKashful Atham . Till the time he did not have this book in front of him he never wrote any portion ofJawahir and he used to say, “But forFazil -e-Hindi the science of religious jurisprudence would have become extinct in Iran.”

The great jurisprudent Shaykh AsadullahShustari in his first bookMaqabis presentsFazil -e-Hindi in such a way as if he is arguing about Imamate and the rights of Ali (a.s ) with theAhle Sunnat .Thus in one of his commentaries he writes, “Among his writings is the book,Al-Manahij -ul-Sawiya which is the commentary ofRawdatul Hayya . I have seen some of its volumes.”

His book Salat is authoritative, lucid and brimming with benefits and research. It was completed in 1088 A.H., which shows that the author was only twenty-five at that time. This young man also experienced those days when the Afghans created great mischief and Isfahan was broken away from Iran. Those days he spent a very difficult life of grief and calamities.Fazil -e-Hindi has written around eighty books and he expired in 1137 A.H. The mostwell known of his book isKashful Atham , which is the commentary onAllamah Hilli’s Qawaid . In the introduction of this book he has repeated the words ofFakhrul Muhaqqiqin that why people are surprised if some are endowed with knowledge at a young age. Allah gives to whom He pleases.

He says, “I myself was not even thirteen when I had studied all the prevalent sciences. I was not even eleven when I had started writing and compiling books. When I wasfifteen I wroteMunyatul Harees DarSharh Talkhis . I was only eighteen when I used to lecture onTaftazani …[ 143]

Therefore the readers must know that the level of their competence was so high that it would not be out of place to call them geniuses.

ShahabuddinSuhurwardi : A StoryOf A Young Philosopher Who Had The World Of Capabilities

There was a small town nearZanjan . Shahabuddin Yahya ibnHabash Suhurwardi , known as ShaykhIshraq was an inhabitant of this town. He was born there and became famous for his knowledge and intelligence. It is said that he was born before 550 A.H.

When he had entered hisyouth he traveled toMuragha and there he studied medicine and science of principles underMajduddin Habili . In that sameperiod he visited Isfahan and studied the best books of philosophy underZahiruddin Fari or Farsi. After that he met all the great personalities of the area and visited and toured many places.First he toured the various cities of Iran and met the great intellectuals and scholars of the time, held discussions with them and impressed them by his knowledge.

During the time he was studying inMuragha underMajduddin , FakhruddinRazi was his class fellow. Fakhruddin also obtained many sciences fromMajduddin .

IbnKhallikan writes in his bookWafayatul Ayan :

Suhurwardi was unique in his command on sciences and arts. He had comprehensive knowledge about philosophy and medicine and in jurisprudence he possessed an astonishing capability. He had great intellect and insight.” Then he writes: He was killed in the last part of 576 A.H. At the time of his death he was thirty-six years old.[144]

Ibn HajarAsqalani , who was a great scholar of his time, writes in his bookLisanul Mizan : He never held discussions with anyone but that he had the upper hand. Then he says: It is related from Fakhruddin Mardini that he said: I am fearful of this young man that his intelligence and sagacity would destroy others.

It is narrated fromSifr Halabi that he said:Suhurwardi arrived in Aleppo in 573 A.H. and lodged at MadrasaHalawiyah . He secured the permission to enter the gathering of IftikharHalabi who was the teacher there. There he entered into a very prolonged discussion.

Ibn AbiAsiba says: ShaykhIshraqi did not have any desire for any material thing.[145]

Yafai also writes inMiratul Jinan : He was an expert in medicine, philosophy, principles of jurisprudence and theology. He was endowed with great intelligence and sagacity. He was an eloquent speaker and very good at debates. It is said that he was even conversant with alchemy.

In such a short period of life, that is less than 36 years,Suhurwardi wrote more or less 50 books, most of whom are present with me. He writes in a very engaging way and his writings are very fine from the literary point of view. And whatever he wrote in Persian, the prose of it is a masterpiece of that age because later the same text became a story of a philosopher whom a community began to follow.[146]

During the fourth century of Hijrah, the power of theAbbaside caliph had become very restricted and the provincial rulers were mostly Shias. And they had great expertise in rational sciences, traditions and narrative reports.

Hence they commanded great influence in the Islamic lands.Thus this age is known as the golden age of philosophy.

From the aspects of his subjects and conditionsSuhurwardi continued to lay the standards of discussions for two centuries after that though all his life he was also involved in teaching, writing and compilation. As a result of his innovative theories he left a great legacy for the people of later times, due to which he would be remembered forever.

His writings are either in Arabic or Persian, and in both the languages his style is very engaging and lucid, which shows his intellectuals capabilities and high thinking that the Almighty had bestowed to this young man.

The following books ofSuhurwardi were collected by the author ofHikmatul Ishraq :Matarahat ,Talwihat ,Hikmatul Ishraq ,Alwahul Amadiya ,Ilaihakul Nuriya , Al-Maqalat ,Bistanul Quloob , Al-Bariqatul Ilahiya ,Lawame -ul-Anwar,Itiqatadatul Hikma ,Risalatul Ishq ,Risala -fi-Jalatul Tafwiliya ,Risale Aqle Surkh ,Rozi ba Jamat -e-Sufiya ,Aawaz PareJibraeel , Partu NamaYazdan Shinakht ,Safir Simurgh, Bakht-e-Moran,Risalatul Tayr ,Dawatul Kawakib ,Alwahul Farsiya ,Ilaihakul Farsiya , Al-Wardatul Ilahiya ,Tauraqul Anwar, Al-Naghmatul Samawiya etc.

A noteworthy matter is thatSuhurwardi says in his book,Hikmatul Ishraq : There are many treatises that I have written in my boyhood.Qutubuddin , the commentator ofHikmatul Ishraq says: By treatises he means the books ofAlwah ,Hiyakul Anwar and other many treatises.

The most important books ofSuhurwardi are:Hikmatul Ishraq ,Hiyakul Anwar,Risalatul Ishq ,Mataharat andTalwihat .

Suhurwardi wroteHikmatul Ishraq in Arabic.Qutubuddin Shirazi wrote the commentary of this book in Arabic. He was a great scholar of his time. Dr. Ja'farSajjadi , a professor at Tehran University has translated this book into Persian.

Among the commentators on the books ofSuhurwardi are the names of those who are highly respected scholars. In the seventh and eighth century IbnKamuna Shaharzori andAllamah Hilli wrote glosses onTalwihat . In the ninth centuryJalaluddin Dawani wrote a gloss onHiyakul Anwar. In the ninth and tenth century respectivelyJalaluddin Dawani andAbdur RazzaqLahiji wrote glosses onHiyakul Anwar. Many other scholars have also passed who have written much onSuhurwardi . They includeKhwaja Nasiruddin Tusi the famous philosopher of the seventh century. He has written extensively on the philosophy ofSuhurwardi and defended him against the philosophy of Ibn Sina.

After Iran other countries of Asia like India benefited a great deal by the philosophy ofSuhurwardi and during the Safavid rule in Iran theIshraqi philosophy exercised great influence on the Islamic thinking.

In India many books ofSuhurwardi were translated into Sanskrit at the behest of the Mughal kings. These books were also translated into Hebrew.Thus his thoughts were spreading to people of other faiths like the Hindus and Jews.

Qutubuddin Shirazi says that the book ofHikmatul Ishraq is full of wisdom and learning though small in size.

InItiqadatul Hikma ,Suhurwardi writes: Some people say philosophers and thinkers do not have faith in Allah and the Last Day:Thus I have compiled in this book the sayings of great philosophers about their beliefs.”

It is very interesting to note that though FakhruddinRazi was a staunch opponent of philosophy he was a classmate ofSuhurwardi and afterSuhurwardi was murdered, when once FakhruddinRazi was given a copy ofTalwihat he first kissed the book then remembering his student days wept in nostalgia.

In the final years of his lifeSuhurwardi traveled to Syria and stayed in Damascus forsometime . He met the scholars there and engaged them in debates and discussions. Then he went to Aleppo and repeated his methods. In Aleppo, Malik Zahir was ruling in place of his father,Salauddin Ayyubi who was in Egypt. Though initially Malik Zahir accorded welcome toSuhurwardi and gave him a place of honor in his court, later when the Sunni scholars defeated by him in debates complained toSalauddin Ayyubi , Malik Zahir was compelled to have him imprisoned. Later he was given a choice to choose death by starvation or execution. It is said thatSuhurwardi chose the former as he was much in favor of penance.However some people say that he was finally executed.

Thus this young philosopher became a target of religious bigotry.

Youthful Leader of Aged Intellectuals

The second century of Hijrah was the age when Islamic sciences spread far and wide. It could be said that this was the time when the sun of sciences and knowledge was rising on the Islamic horizons and spreading its brilliance all around. Students in quest of knowledge were flocking in all the universities and colleges, especially those connected with the study of religious jurisprudence, traditions, and Quranic exegesis. In all these countries where Islam was the predominant religion a personality was gauged depending upon knowledge and intelligence and on this basis alone one was remembered even after one passed away.

Kufa, Baghdad, Basra and Medina were the centers of education during this period. This is an episode of the reign of theAbbaside , Mahdi the third, that one day the caliph arrived in Basra with all the royal pomp and glory in order to tour this city, which had earned the reputation of being a great seat of learning.Thus he came to Basra accompanied by the great scholars and military officers of his kingdom. When his entourage passed through the city the great scholars of the place were leading the procession. It was the time when scholars also permitted and favored according respect to royal figures, and this was the method of paying homage. TheAbbaside caliph saw that a young man, whose name was Ayaz ibnMuawiyah standing in the front surrounded by rows of scholars all around him, because this youth was having divinely gifted intelligence and astonishing knowledge. Not only this, he had just stepped into adolescence, when he scaled the peaks of intellectual accomplishments. Seeing thisspectacle the caliph was very much distraught and addressing the scholars said, “Shame on your white beards. Is there none among you who could come forward and send this youth to the rear?”

After that, the caliph looked towards Ayaz and said, “What is your age?” Ayaz who was a witty genius having great presence of mind replied at once, “O Caliph! My age is same as the age ofUsamah ibn Zaid when the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.s .) appointed him as the commander-in-chief of the army. And this army included among other companions, Umar, Abu Bakr and other senior people and all were obliged to accept the leadership of this lad.”

When the haughty caliph heard this reply he was astonished at the intelligence, wit and wisdom of this young man. He said, “Bravo! You indeed deserve to walk before these scholars.” At that time Ayaz was only seventeen.

Sibuya : The Iranian Brain Who Later Became The Father Of Arabic Literature

Amr ibn Uthman ibnQambar , popularly known asSibuya was a master of Arabic syntax and is accepted as the father of this field.

Ibn Nadim says thatSibuya was a slave of a person of Bani Harith ibnKaab tribe and he was connected toBayda a hamlet near Shiraz but was born in Basra. Some people say that he was born inBayda itself but came to Iraq during his childhood and resided at Basra.

Sibuya started learning Arabic syntax, which was the most important field of study in those days. His first teacher in the subject was Khalil ibn Ahmed an expert of Arabic syntax. He also studied under Isa Ibn Umar,Yunus Ibn Habib andAkhfash and also gained from the teachings ofAsami . But the fact was that he reached the pinnacle of perfection in his particular field due to his own merits, divinely gifted intelligence and hard work. According to Ibn Nadim, if anyone has the proficiency to judge the books written in thepast he would indeed admit that the book written bySibuya is such that none like it has ever been authored before and none shall ever be compiled like it.

IbnKhallikan writes thatSibuya is among the ancient scholars of Arabic syntax and grammar and he was the most intelligent and expert in the field of Arabic language. Till date he is the final authority on the subject. After theAl-Kitab no book has ever been written of the same caliber. All the books compiled after it owe everything to this book.

Jahiz , himself a reputed Arabic grammarian says, “One day I thought of going to meet the vizier of Abdul Malik. I deliberated on what gift I should take for him and decided that nothing was worthier in my view than Al-Kitab. After I presented him with thebook I mentioned my view also.” The scholarly vizier replied, “Indeed, you could not have given me a better present.”

IbnKhallikan narrates from IbnNatah that he said, “A gentleman was sitting with Khalil ibn Ahmad whenSibuya arrived. Khalil said, “Welcome to the one who is never tired of taking classes.” Abu AmrMahzumi narrates thatSibuya was not as much fond of any of his teachers as he was of Khalil. “I never saw Khalil according such a welcome to any other student.”

All the experts of the Arabic language have unanimously without any difference of opinion rememberedSibuya as “The Teacher”. They all benefited from his writings and explanations.

The most surprising thing is that an Iranian youth had scaled these heights of expertise in Arabic grammar and he became a teacher to the Arabs and taught them the intricacies of their own tongue. All the Arabic scholars accept the prominence ofSibuya . It is not that being an Iranian himself the writer of this book is heaping undeserving praises on this young man.

But when we contemplate, the closest companion of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s .) was Salman Farsi, the leader of the greatest school of Sunni jurisprudence was AbuHanifah , also an Iranian, the compiler of the most important book ofAhle Sunnat Sahih Bukhari was Muhammad Ibn Ismail

Bukhari, an Iranian. The greatest philosophers of the Islamic world Abu Farabi and Ibn Sina were Persians. The father ofgnosticism , ImamGhazzali was an Iranian and so on…

It is an admitted fact that Iran has greatly contributed to the expansion of the study of Arabic.

The book ofSibuya gained such prominence that it was also published from Berlin, Germany, India and Cairo, Egypt.

It is said thatSibuya was once engaged in a debate with Hamzah Kasai the tutor of Amin the son of Harun Rashid and thatSibuya was defeated in this debate.Sibuya could not bear the defeat hence he developed tuberculosis fever and died due to it. Some however say theSibuya surrendered willingly, considering that Hamzah was the tutor of Harun’s child. In any case he developed the aforesaid illness and passed away when he was only thirty-two years of age.

After his debate with Hamzah,Sibuya came to Shiraz from Baghdad, and passed away after some days. He is buried in Shiraz. According to the writer ofAthaarul Ajam his tomb is in the SangSiyah locality.

We should however remember that the debate ofSibuya with Hamzah did not conclude withSibuya’s defeat. The facts were in support ofSibuya but the unscrupulous opponents distorted the arguments and ruled in favor of Hamzah.

This episode is recorded in detail inHistory ofIbn Khallikan under the heading of “Qaziya -e-Zamboor ” and according to this authorSibuya expired at the age of thirty.[147]

As far as his importance is concerned, his bookAl-Kitab is sufficient because we know that AbuHayyan Gharnati , the famous Arab grammarian of Spain relied on the books ofSibuya and he had memorized them all.

Introduction

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In The Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful

“Verily the Qur'an doth guide to that which is most right (or stable) (to run societies), and giveth the glad tidings to the Believers who work deeds of righteousness, that they shall have a magnificent reward”1 .

“We have sent down to thee the book explaining all things, a Guide, a Mercy, and Glad tidings to Muslims"2 .

“When those come to thee who believe in Our Signs, say: 'Peace be on you: Your Lord hath inscribed for Himself (the rule on Mercy; verily, if any of you did evil in ignorance, and thereafter repented, and amended (his conduct), Lo! He is oft-forgiving, Most Merciful”3 .

The light of Islam is illuminating hearts of individuals in nearly all parts of the world, in spite of heavy barriers and careful controls and religious interrogation exerted by not only many governments of non-Muslim nations, but also in some Muslim countries, against their believing people, especially during the years after the Islamic Revolution of Iran.

The effective influence of the light of the truth together with the speed in the movement of the Age has brought forth a more vital exchange of thought and religious ideology in connection with the Holy Qur'an.

In regard to this, we refer to what the Messenger of Allah (S) has said about it:

When afflictions surround you like the dark night refer to the Qur'an, because, it is an Intercessor whose intercession is accepted. It reports the evils (of people) which will be confirmed. It leads the person to Heaven who puts it in front of himself (follows it); and he who puts it behind himself (neglects it) will be driven to Hell.

This very Qur'an is the best guide to the best ways. It is a Book in which there are useful explanations, statements and gaining (of goals). It is the Separator (of right and wrong).4

Obviously, those people whose language is not Arabic can refer to the Holy Book in English, because this is an international language and it is possible for all nations with any native language, to read and understand it in English. As far as we know, there are more than 50 different English translations of Qur'an available in Iran alone, and probably others exist in libraries (and homes) throughout the world.

This makes it easy for the lovers of truth to obtain the knowledge of the Holy Qur'an and Islamic ideology, through the medium of English, which formerly was acquired directly by the Arabic and Persian languages.

But, a fact should be mentioned here that not all of the words of Allah are easily understood by ordinary people and need explanatory commentary, i.e. 'Tafsir’.

Alongside this path, there are some problems that those eager to learn the Qur'anic truth should know and be careful of. Hence, we deal here with some of the difficulties we were involved in and recognized when we were preparing this endeavour; the fruit of our humble labour of more than three years, a translation of the commentary of over one section (of the 30 sections) of the Holy Qur'an from different commentary sources.

The work is based upon popular commentaries accepted by Muslim scholars. We consulted other books and present living scholars, learned in the Qur'anic Sciences for our work to produce this commentary in a simple standard of English easily understood by the laymen.

The style of writing here is a mixture of British-English and American-English, understandable for all the readers; even for those acquainted with only one of them. However, excuse us for using interchangeable spellings. If both are used, from time to time, they are acceptable; for example, honour and honor.

Not All English Versions of Quran Are Acceptable

Some Western translators of the Holy Qur'an; not all of them, and some producers of literature on Islam in the English language, are the anti-Muslim elements which are busy in distorting the facts about the faith to create disruption in Islamic ideology.

These hostile minds have attempted to black-list the Holy Prophet (S) and the religion of Islam, through their purposeful and subtle mis-translations, mis-interpretations, mis-representations and distortion of the facts.

The distortion and the misinterpretations are so skilfully decorated in linguistic excellence and delusive logic that the blind lovers of the English language, who are hardly or even totally unaware of the actual Qur'anic factors of their own faith, get caught up in the falsehood tempered with eloquence and they swallow the 'sugar-coated poisonous pills of deceit' allowing themselves to become duly conditioned to serve the purpose of the publications of the hostile camps.

The current standing of Evil has always been against the Truth in the history of man, even before written history, when the sons of Adam came into existence.

When these antagonistic elements have successfully extended their active influence upon our own religion, ideology and social tradition, we are also duty bound to Allah, His Final Word (the Holy Qur'an), the Faith, and to Islam, to do our best to present to every sincere seeker of Truth, a selection of a translation of the verses of the Holy Qur'an of the original Arabic text, and the 'Tafsir' (commentary) of them.

By the way, we believe that it is the essential belief of 'Shi'a' that the present Qur'an, that which is in our hands today, is the Holy Book of Allah, revealed to the holy Prophet Muhammad (S), as arranged and compiled during his lifetime and read out to him and it contains nothing less or more than what was revealed.

And it should be noted that,

"Nay, but it is a Glorious Qur'an, (inscribed) in a tablet preserved."5 ,

whose present arrangement is the order in which the various verses were sorted and arranged at the command of the Holy Prophet (S), himself.

This is the uncorrupted or undisturbed Word of Allah, the preservation of which has been guaranteed by Allah, Himself:

"We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption)"6 .

Furthermore, the English translations, along with the Arabic text of the verses, in this book, are selected from different translations of English versions of the Holy Qur'an, (whose names are listed at the end of the book under the title of 'References') which are from the best available sources in which some better styles and more proper meanings are employed. The translator and editor did their best to preserve this divine message and in conveying the Qur'anic facts in English.

In a few instances this writer, the translator, changed a word of those existing translations to a better one, from the existing material which was employed in this work.

What is a 'Commentary'?

A pure, correct, accurate translation of the Qur'an is necessary, but sometimes it is difficult for the readers to understand all of the apparent and hidden meanings and it is the duty of every Muslim, man or woman to read, understand and contemplate on the Holy Qur'an according to his own capacity:

"...read you, therefore, of the Qur'an as much as may be easy for you.."7 .

This reading has to be done not only with the tongue, voice and eyes; a mere recitation, but, also, with the best light that our intellect can supply, and even more, with the truest and purest light which our heart and conscience give us.

However, it is not always possible to fully understand the Holy Book as Allah says:

"That is indeed a Qur'an most honourable,"Which none shall touch but those who are purified"8 .

Thus, some additional information is needed. For example, it is sometimes necessary, for understanding the text, to refer to the particular occasion for the revelation of a particular verse; or to know the philological changes of a word used at the time of revelation or before it and the meaning that it has in Arabic, today.

Or the alphabetical symbols which evidently and undoubtedly are secrets, and especially the ambiguous /mutashabihat/; the knowledge of which has been announced to be with the /rasixuna fil 'ilm/; those deeply established in knowledge.

They are some things that only 'the particular ones, the sinless ones', besides the Prophet (S), himself, viz, Ahlul Bayt, knew with all the Qur'anic facts and talked about them in their traditions and narrations (as He says:

"And whom We had taught knowledge from Our own Presence"9 .

For instance, the Apostle, himself, answered the questions which used to be asked by people as to the meaning of certain words in the verses revealed, or details of certain historical or spiritual matters on which they sought more enlightenment. These answers and explanations or in other words, the commentaries were gathered by some Companions /ashab/ and were afterward written down which are called 'Hadith' or 'traditions'.

Of course, the holy Prophet (S) had openly declared in Hadith-uth- Thaqalayn that the Qur'an is with the Ahlul Bayt, and to avoid going astray, the Muslims should be attached to these two. Later, the Ahlul Bayt's explanations and narrations, were added to them and together with the effect of expert religious scholars, in the past and present, established 'Exegesis' (explanation of Qur'an) which became a science in itself and was called 'Tafsir', commentary.

'Commentary' shows how every verse, or group of verses, were revealed to the holy Prophet (S) on a particular occasion, but which also has a general meaning. The particular occasion and the particular people concerned have passed away, but the general meaning and its application remain true for all time.

This is also one of the miracles of the Qur'an that with the help of 'commentary' it is always open and it is always new for those new generations to come.

The Current Commentary

As was mentioned earlier, the light of Islam is enlightening every corner in the world and seekers of truth, having referred to the translations of the Holy Qur'an, find that they need 'Tafsir', (commentary).

Some of them, Shi'a believers in particular have been led to this Center; Imam Ali (as) Library, requesting a clear, concise English Tafsir; 'a commentary of the Holy Qur'an'.

From the beginning of Islam until today (although many times the Holy Qur'an has been translated into English and a few of them are published with brief, detailed commentary, as footnotes, there has rarely been, as far as we know, a fairly complete commentary in English sufficient for them to find their answers. So the decision was made to supply this commentary.

Ayatullah Mujahed Al-Hajj, Allamah Sayyid Kamal Faqhih Imani, the founder and responsible party of this Islamic Scientific Research Center, approached us and reported the situation to scholars and appropriate research societies.

Then 12 people, who had varying nationalities and educational backgrounds, especially from the point of the English language and Islamic Theology, gathered. In their first gathering, which was held on 28th Safar, 1412 (1370 H. / 1991), they concluded that the commentary of the whole Qur'an which they intended to supply in English, would take many years to produce.

In order to quench the thirst of the lovers of Truth who had demanded it again and again, they decided to supply the commentary of the last section of the Qur'an, as a sample, and after its publication and receiving constructive comments by the readers and with a better skillfulness of the ones involved, the translation of the commentary would begin from the beginning of the Holy Qur'an.

Therefore, they thought it would be better that the sample, entitled 'An Enlightening Commentary Into the Light of the Holy Qur'an', begin with Surah Insan, the end of the 29th Section, because the Qur'an was revealed for the improvement of Man and this Surah is about Man and his creation from a lowly life-germ which can develop unto the highest point where no other creature can ascend.

But, after several weeks the number of us dwindled to a handful and after some months, until the present, we remain two people; the translator and the editor. During this period of more than three years, a few people have tried their hands at this task to have a share in the translation, but, for different reasons, they were not successful.

However, we are completely grateful for their efforts and extend our thanks for their attempts, as well as to those who had any involvement in this work.

Attributes Needed for Working on This Kind of Commentary

This endeavour needed not only the knowledge and skillfulness in the English language, but also the knowledge of Arabic, and Islamic science and culture, because Tafsir is an attempt to analyze and explain the meaning of verses in the Holy Qur'an.

Moreover, Allah, Himself, says:

"We have sent down to thee the book explaining all things, a Guide, a Mercy, and Glad Tidings to Muslims"10 .

Then, it needs that those involved know a little bit about almost all sciences and knowledge that human beings are concerned with when working with the commentary. Also, the phonetic sound systems of the two languages, English and Arabic, are different. Therefore, when an Arabic word from the Qur'an is mentioned in the English text, it is shown with the phonetic alphabet and in its special phonetical sign, i.e.: / /, to avoid using 'Arabic script' in the book, as far as possible.

A transliteration table of the Arabic letters and sounds and the corresponding phonetic signs, applied in this book, is given at the beginning of the book.

The Problems in Translating

We tried to avoid mixing up our own personal theories and conclusions with the interpretation of the text itself. With the help of Allah, we did our best; at times asking for guidance from some learned religious men (Ruhaniyan), and used all the knowledge and experience we possessed in the service of the Holy Qur'an for its commentary, hoping that Allah accepts it.

The nature of this sort of endeavour is so that, in the course of translation, some difficulties arise from various causes.

For instance, cultures in the Arabic language and English language are different so that some of the words like /amrun bayn al amrayn/ in the case of fatalism and freewill are nearly impossible to translate into English, because of the difference in the concept in English literature; or the meaning of a word like 'prostration', in English, is rather different with what /sajdah/ exactly means in Arabic.

In such cases, we selected the meaning of the words from among what the earlier commentators and phililogists used and where they were not unanimous, we also used the ideas of new writers, who had reasonable advantages in their interpretations, when the senses adopted with the commentary sources that we were taking and translating materials from. Explanations, of course are always helpful which we took benefit from, too.

It is noteworthy that there are some circumstances in the text, of the commentary, in which a verse or verses of Qur'an from other Suras rather than the Surah under discussion are mentioned as evidence or, thereby, for strengthening the idea.

The text of these verses and also the traditions and narrations from the holy Prophet or Ahlul Bayt (as) is printed in bolder type than the running commentary in order to distinguish, at a glance, the substance from the shadow. Also, the mentioned verses are generally taken from A. Yusuf Ali's translation.

It Was Only By His Merciful Will!

Translators Note

Both the editor and the translator have interesting factual stories to tell of how the way of this endeavour was paved by Providence and how they were divinely led to be absorbed into this task, Alhamdulillah. A few words given here in this regard are not to be misunderstood as a display of vanity for any peculiar distinction; for there is none.

It is purely to attract the attention of the readers to a living instance of the Providential implementation of the divine plan and how man drifts to his assignment and how matters are automatically manipulated, though, they seem yet only to be circumstantial.

"He said: Our Lord is He Who gave to each (created) thing its form and nature and further gave (it) guidance"11 .

For example, once, on a night, the writer of these lines, the translator, had seen in a dream that the Holy Qur'an, was placed, honourably, on a high position, wide open, high above a very great crowd of people amongst whom he was standing, watching. The full name of his was clearly written in the midst of the writings on the right page of it with magnificent bold letters.

The dream was obviously a good one, but it did not mean vividly to him at that time.

It was four years before he found out, in the course of translating the commentary of verses 11-16 from Surah 'Abasa No. 80, both the meaning of that dream and the cause of later changes in his career of twenty years, as a manager of a profitable Foreign Language Center, thanks to Allah.

It is always true what the Qur'an says:

"You will not unless Allah wills, surely Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise"12 .

By His graceful arrangement this writer was separated from his almost material gains, of this fleeting world, to be set toward the assured, perfect, pure, spiritual rewards of the next, everlasting world from Him, Allah willing, when he began translating the commentary of the Qur'an and entered this great Divine Ocean of light, he found out that from earlier times such a success had been appointed and bestowed to him by Allah.

Therefore, all changes and graceful arrangements directly are from Him and it was His helpful Will that planned His graceful design and showered the ability and insight upon us to lead us to the present point. We are eagerly in hopes that He will help us and guide us in all cases to complete the task successfully so that He accepts it from us.

Editor's Note

In my case, it is a fact that only by the grace of Allah have I come to be at the helm working, side-by-side with the translator, on this commentary of the Holy Qur'an. Editing and checking this translation of 'An Enlightening commentary into the Light of the Holy Quran' has been a most important and rewarding experience for me.

To be of value in this work several things were necessary; my mother tongue, English, was almost at the top of the list. Then, having the ability to use a computer and printer, which involved me having to learn and use a Farsi program named Zarnegar, produced in Tehran, Iran, I was able to make use of the wonderful array of fonts it contains; necessary to type the Arabic and English languages.

Next, living in Iran, for four years, has made it possible for me to become acquainted with the native language and customs. However, the greatest asset, of all, is that I am a Shi'a Muslim woman.

It is fifteen (15) years from now, that in America, I became enlightened to the existence of the Holy Qur'an and accepted it as a better way of life. Over this period of time it has put me in touch with the purity of the religion and the logical answers to the religious questions I had as a Catholic.

My father told us (during our childhood) that if we ever wanted to know anything we should go to the source and to always have the correct tools on hand to do the job right.

When I started hearing and seeing, on television, the upheaval of the Islamic Revolution, in Iran, and the speech of a brave and courageous man they called Ayatullah Khomeini, I became very intense on knowing why it was happening and in knowing who this man was who had been exiled and was making his return to his homeland.

"Our Lord! We have heard the call of one calling (us) to faith, 'Believe ye in the Lord,, and we have believed. Our Lord! Forgive us our sins, blot out from us our iniquities, and take to Thyself our souls in the company of the righteous"13 .

It was something more spectacular than I had ever read about in my high school history books. There was a charge in it that I could not explain, and up until that time, I had never really heard anything about Islam, Prophet Muhammad or Muslims, for that matter.

I bought A. Yussuf Ali's English Translation of the Holy Qur'an, basing my decision on my father's counsel and I began from page one.

It was talking about the same things I had already learned; Adam and Eve in the Garden, disobeyed God due to the wiles of Satan and then, were expelled to Earth; Moses is given the scripture and leads his people out of Egypt, but they forfeited their covenant for a golden calf; Abraham, Ismail and Issac of the religion true, and there, Mary.

Hail Mary! Chaste, pure, chosen above other women, given glad tidings of a Word from Him; his name will be Christ Jesus, son of Mary, held in honor...14

And it went on: Practise charity, take care of the orphans, speak a speech that is just, beware of the deceits of the Unbelievers...I was in awe as I neared the end. No place was any obscenity found -no trace of ugliness which I found in the Bible -nothing but pure scripture; a complete religion, the one and only continuing from the first of Abraham. So, it became crystal clear to me that Islam is the final, refined message from God.

True, just, undeniable, containing what I had always felt and that is this: There is only One God; unique, needing no partner, powerful, and yet merciful and kind. How could God be more than one; Creator of such a vast universe and more?

With this understanding, though, came many tests to my new-found-faith; albeit necessary tests. Did I really believe - did I really submit to His Will - was I really worthy?

I began by only putting on a scarf, covering all of my hair.

"And say to the believing women...that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers..."15

Immediately the responses that I encountered proved the rightness of it all. I was chided, spit at, hit and cursed. Well, of course, a great deal of this was due to the propaganda which caused mass hysteria against Iran and not having their facts straight about the religion of Islam, however, it hurt just the same, but I had learned forgiveness and perseverance from my mother.

It was difficult for my family in the beginning; this change I was making, however, we are very close at heart, today, due to my faith and reliance on Allah.

"And out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say: 'My Lord! Bestow on them Thy Mercy even as they cherished me in childhood.'"16

Almost at once the veils over my understanding fell away and I started rejecting a lot of the 'big-business' propaganda that had infiltrated into my life.

"Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from error; whosoever rejects Evil and believes in God bath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks..."17

The 'Big Sell' eats away at the very fabric of human society to the point that life has only a superficial meaning and high value is put on every inanimate object which man can produce.

"The life of this world is alluring to those who reject faith, and they scoff at those who believe. But the righteous will be above them on the Day of Resurrection; for God bestows His abundance on whom He will "18 .

I had developed an intense desire to go to Iran--the country of martyrs; having an air so thick with emotions, direction and goal, at that time, and having the presence of an undeniable strength caressing it in the hands of an unseen power.

Ten years after I started practicing the tenets of Islam the opportunity presented itself for me to be able to fulfil my desire.

"Not equal are those Believers who sit (at home) and receive no hurt, and those who strive and fight in the cause...God has granted a grade higher to those who strive...”19

I wished very much to become involved in some type of work regarding the Holy Qur'an and in due time I was approached to work with a group of people on a commentary of the Holy Qur'an.

"And for those who fear God, He prepares a way out" "And He provides for him from (sources) he never could imagine..."20

Those of you who know anything about the rigors of editing know that it is very time-consuming and attention to detail is very necessary.

Spending many hours discussing the meaning of a single word, or phrase, can cause the ordinary soul to become frustrated, but that frustration is ultimately quelled when peace and tranquillity cover the heart at the point where there is that final agreement and gives those involved renewed enthusiasm to continue.

Sometimes you will notice more spacing than usual on a line or within the phonetic brackets (/ /), but this is due to the fact that the Zarnegar program is a Farsi program and it took much time trying to place the little phonetic line over, or the little dot under, the correct letter, because English is written from left to right and Farsi is written from right to left, so, I had a bit of anarchy on my hands for a time.

I leave you, now, in the hopes that you, too, will be provoked to question and seek. (Seek and you will find). Looking back, I feel that Allah does consider me worthy.

"God is the protector of those who have faith; from the depths of darkness He will lead them into light"21 .

Wa Salam.

Notes

1. 17:9

2. 16:89

3. 6:54

4. Usul al-Kafi, vol 2, p. 599.

5. 85:21, 22

6. 15:9

7. 73:20

8. 56:77, 79

9. 18:65

10. 16:89

11. 20:50

12. 76:30

13. 3:193

14. 3:42-45

15. 24:31

16. 17:24

17. 2:256

18. 2:212

19. 4:95

20. 65:2-3

21. 2:257

Acknowledgment

Tafsir Nemunah is compiled by the great writer and researcher, His Eminence Ayatullah il-Ozma Nasir Makarim Shirazi, and with the cooperation of an estimable group of Muslim scholars, Hujaj-

ul-Islam:

By the way, it should be notified that for the translation of this volume, Tafsir Nemunah has been mainly utilized.

* * * *

يَأَيهَا النّاس قَدْ جَاءَكُم بُرْهَنٌ مِّن رّبِّكُمْ وَ أَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكُمْ نُوراً مّبِيناً

“O mankind! Verily there has come to you a convincing proof (the Messenger and the Qur’an) from your Lord: for We have sent unto you a light (that is) manifest.”1

إِنّا نحْنُ نَزّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَ إِنّا لَهُ لحَافِظونَ

"We have, without doubt, sent down the Message and We will assuredly Guard it (from corruption)."2

وَ مَنْ أَعْرَض عَن ذِكرِى فَإِنّ لَهُ مَعِيشةً ضنكاً وَ نحْشرُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَمَةِ أَعْمَى

"But whosoever turns away from My Message (the Qur’an), verily for him is a straitened toilsome life, and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Judgement''.3

وَ نُنزِّلُ مِنَ الْقُرْءَانِ مَا هُوَ شِفَاءٌ وَ رَحْمَةٌ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ

“And We send down (stage by stage) of the Qur’an that which is a healing and a mercy for those who believe..."4

Notes

1. 4:174

2. 15:9

3. 20:124

4. 17:82

References

Arabic, Farsi Commentaries

1. Tafsir-i-Nemuneh, by A Group of Shi'a Scholars with Ayatollah Makarim Shirazi; Dar-ul-Kutub-il-Islamiyyah, Qum, Iran, 1990/1410.

2. Majma'-ul-Bayan fi Tafsir-il-Qur'an, by Shaykh Abu Ali al-Fadl-ibn-il-Husain-il-Tabarsi, Dar-u-Ihya'-it- Turath-il' Arabi, Beirut, Lebanon, 1960/1380 AH.

3. Al-Mizan fi Tafsir-il-Qur'an by 'Allamah as-Sayyid Muhammad Husain at- Tabataba'i, al-A'lami lil-Matbu'at, Beirut, Lebanon, 1972/1392 AH.

4. Atyab-ul-Bayan fi Tafsir-il-Qur'an by Sayyid 'Abdul-Husain Tayyib, Muhammadi Publishing House, Isfahan, Iran, 1962/1382 AH.

5. Ad-Durr-ul-Manthur fi-Tafsir-il-Ma'thur by Imam 'Abd-ur-Rahman al-Suyuti, Dar-ul-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, 1983/1403 AH.

6. Al-Tafsir-ul-Kabir by Imam Fakh-ir-Razi, Dar-ul-Kutub-il-'islmiyyah, Tehran, 1973/1393.

7. Al-Jam'li -Ahkam-il-Qur'an (Tafsir-ul-Qartabi) by Muhammad-ibn-Ahmad al-Qartabi, Dar-ul-Kutub-il Misriyyah, 1967/1387.

8.Tafsir-i-Nur-uth-Thaqalayn by 'Abd-i-'Ali-ibn Jum'at-ul-'Arusi al-Huweyzi, al-Matba'atul-'ilmiyyah, Qum, Iran, 1963/1383 AH.

9. Tafsir-i-Ruh-ul-Janan by Jamal-ud-Din Abul-Futuh Razi, Dar-ul-Kutub-il-Islamiyyah, Tehran, 1973/1393 AH.

10. Tafsir-i-Ruh-ul-Bayan by Isma'il Haqqi al-Burusawi Dar-u-Ihya'-ut- Turath-il-' Arabi, Beirut.

English Translations of Qur'an

1. The Holy Qur'an, Text, Translation and Commentary by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Publication of the Presidency of Islamic Courts & Affairs, State of Qatar, 1946.

2. The Holy Qur'an, Arabic Text by a Group of Muslim Brothers, English Translation and footnotes by M. H. Shakir, Tehran, Iran.

3. The Glorious Koran, Bi-lingual Edition with English Translation by Marmaduke Pickthall, printed in Great Britain by W. & J. MacKay Ltd., Chatham, Kent, London.

4. Al-Mizan, An Exegesis of the Qur'an by al-Allamah as-Sayyid Muhammad Husayn-at- Tabataba'i, Translated by Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi, Vol. 1, Tehran, WOFIS, 1983.

5. The Koran translated with notes by N. J. Dawood, Penguin Books Ltd, New York, U.S.A, 1978.

6. The Koran Interpreted, Translated by Arthur J. Arberry, London, Oxford University Press, 1964.

7. The Glorious Koran, Translated with Commentary of Divine Lights by Ali Muhammad Fazil Chinoy, Printed at the Hyderabad Bulletin Press, Secanderabad-India, 1954.

8. Holy Qur'an, Shakir, M. H., Ansariyan Publications, Qum, Islamic Republic of Iran, 1993.

9. The Holy Qur'an with English Translation of the Arabic Text and Commentary According to the Version of the Holy Ahlul-Bait by S. V. Mir Ahmad Ali, published by Tahrike- Tarsile Qur'an, Inc., New York, 1988.

10. A Collection of Translation of the Holy Qur'an, supplied, corrected and compiled by Al-Balagh Foundation, Tehran, Iran, (unpublished).

Supporting Technical References

1. Nahjul -Balagha by as -Sayyid ar -Radi Dar -ul -Kitab al -Lubnani, Beirut, Lebanon, 1982.

2. Sharh -i -Nahjul -Balagha by Ibn-i Abi al-Hadid, Dar -u -Ihya' -il - Kutub -il -' Arabiyyah, Eypt, 1959/1378 AH.

3. Nahj-al-Balagha of Amir al-Muminin 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, selected and compiled by as-Sayyid Abul-Hassan 'Ali ibn al-Husayn ar-Radi al-Musawi, Translated by Sayyid Ali Raza, World Organization For Islamic Services (WOFIS), Tehran, Iran, 1980.

4. Nahjul Balagha -Hazrat Ali, Translated by Sheikh Hassan Saeed, Chehel Sotoon Library & Theological School, Tehran, Iran, 1977.

5. Al-Kafi by ash-Shaykh Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Ya'qub ibn Ishaq al-Kulayni ar-Razi, Translated and published by WOFIS, Tehran, Iran, 1982.

6. Shi'a, by Allamah Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabataba-i, translated by Sayyid Hosein Nasr, Qum, Ansariyan Publications, 1981.

7. Williams Obstetrics, Pritchard, Jack A., 1921; MacDonald, Paul C., 1930, Appleton-Century-Crofts, New York, U.S.A, 1976.

8. The Encyclopedia Americana, Americana Corporation, New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C., U.S.A, 1962.

9. Compton's Encyclopedia and Fact-Index, F.E. Compton Company, printed in U.S.A, 1978.

10. Webster's New Twentieth Century Dictionary of the English Language Unabridged, Second Edition, by Noah Webster, Published by the World Publishing Company, Cleveland and New York, U.S.A, 1953.

Phraseological and Philological Sources

1. A Glossary of Islamic Technical Terms Persian-English, by M. T. Akbari and others, Edited by B. Khorramshahi, Islamic Research Foundation, Astan, Quds, Razavi, Mashhad, Iran, 1991.

2. Al-Mawrid, a Modern Arabic-English Dictionary, Third Edition,by Dr. Rohi Baalbaki, Dar el-Ilm Lilmulmalayin, Beirut, Lebanon, 1991.

3. Elias' Modern Dictionary, Arabic-English, by Elias A. Elias & Ed. E. Elias, Beirut, Lebanon, 1980.

4. An Introduction to Arabic Phonetics and the Orthoepy of the Qur'an, by Bahman Zandi, Islamic Research Foundation, Astan, Quds, Razavi, Mashhad, Iran, 1992.

5. A Concise Dictionary of Religious Terms & Expressions (English-Persian & Persian-English), by Hussein Vahid Dastjerdi, Vahid Publications, Tehran, Iran, 1988.

6. Arabic-English Lexicon, by Edward William Lane, Librarie Du Liban, Beirut, Lebanon, 1980.

7. A Dictionary and Glossary, by Penrice B.A. Curzon Press Ltd., London, Dublin, Reprinted, 1979.

8. Webster's New World Dictionary, Third College Edition, by David B. Guralnik, Simon & Schuster, New York, U.S.A, 1984.

9. The New Unabridged English-Persian Dictionary, by Abbas Aryanpur (Kashani), Amir Kabir Publication Organization, 1963.

10. The Larger Persian English Dictionary, by S. Haim, published in Farhang Moaser, Tehran, Iran, 1985.

A Presentation to Muslims

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ

يا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ أَطِيعُواْ اللّهَ وَأَطِيعُواْ الرَّسُولَ وَأُوْلِي الأَمْرِ مِنكُ

In The Name of Allah, The Beneficient, The Merciful

"O ye who believed! Obey Allah, and obey the Apostle, and those charged with authority among you”. 1

('Those charged with authority' are only the twelve sinless Imams (as) and; at the time of occultation, Sources of Imitation, who are learned, pious, and just, should be referred to.)

في إكمال الدين في حديث عن جابر الجعفي عن جابر بن عبد الله الانصاري قال: قلت: يا رسول الله عرفنا الله ورسوله، فمن اولي الامر الذين قرن الله طاعتهم بطاعتك؟ فقال (ص) هم خلفائي يا جابر، وأئمة المسلمين بعدي أولهم علي بن أبي طالب، ثم الحسن والحسين، ثم علي بن الحسين، ثم محمد بن علي المعروف في التوراة بالباقر وستدركه يا جابر فإذا لقيته فاقرأه مني السلام. ثم الصادق جعفر بن محمد، ثم موسى بن جعفر، ثم علي بن موسى، ثم محمد بن علي، ثم علي بن محمد، ثم الحسن بن علي، ثم سميي وكنيي حجة الله في أرضه، وبقيته في عباده ابن الحسن بن علي، ذاك الذي يفتح الله على يديه مشارق الارض ومغاربها

In 'Ikmal-ud-Din' a tradition, through 'Jabir-il-Ju'fi', is narrated from Jabir-ibn- Abdillah thus:

I said:

"O Messenger of Allah, we have known Allah and His Apostle; then who is 'Ulil-Amr', those that Allah has made their obedience the same as your obedience?'

Then, the Prophet (S) said:

'O Jabir! they are, after me, my successors and the Guides of Muslims; the first of them is Ali-ibn-Abi Talib; then (Imam) Hassan, and (Imam) Husain; then Ali-ibn-il-Husain; then Muhammad-ibn-Ali, known in the Torah as Baqir, whom you will see.

O Jabir! When you visit him, give my regards to him. After him, there is Sadiq, -Ja'far-ibn-Muhammad; and after him Musa-ibn-Ja'far; then Ali-ibn-Musa; then Muhammad-ibn-Ali; then Ali-ibn-Muhammad, then Hassan-ibn-Ali; and after him (there comes) Al-Gha'im whose name and sir-name is the same as mine. He is Allah's Authority on the Earth and His Remainder amongst His servants.

He is the son of (Imam) Hassan-ibn-Ali (a.-Askari). This is the very personality by whose hands Allah will open the Easts and Wests of the world.’2

قال الله تعالى: "وما ينطق عن الهوى إن هو إلا وحي يوحى"

"Nor does the Apostle speak out of desire. It is naught but revelation that is revealed".3

قال النبي (ص): "إني تارك فيكم التقلين، كتاب الله حبل ممدود من السماء إلى الأرض وعترتي أهل بيتي، وإن اللطيف الخبير أخبرني أنهما لن يفترقا حتى يردا علي الحوض فانظروا بماذا تخلفوني" وفي حديث آخر: "لن تضلوا ما إن تمسكتم بهما"

The Prophet (S) said:

"I leave behind me two weighty (very worthy and important) things:

The book of Allah (i.e. the Quran), which is a stretched string from the heaven to the earth, and my progeny, my Ahlul Bayt; for verily Allah, The Merciful, The Aware, informed me that never, never, will these Two get separated from each other until they meet me at the Houd of Kauthar (the Pond of Abundance).

Therefore, be careful and contemplate on how you will treat them (after me)”

...and in another tradition it is added:

"Never, never, shall you get astray if you attach yourself to these two”.4

Abul-Hassan-ir-Rida (as) said:

"May the Mercy of Allah be upon the servant who Keeps alive our commandment".

I asked him (as) how the one could keep your commandment alive.

He (as) said:

"He (can) learn our sciences and teach them to people. In fact if people knew (the merits) and goodnesses of our speech, surely they would follow us.”5

Notes

1. 4:59

2. Ikmal-ud-Din, Vol. 1, p. 253; with nearly similar meaning, in Yanabi-ul-Mawaddah, p. 117

3. 53:3,4

4. Ma'uni-ul-Akhbur, p. 90, tradition 2, & Musnad Ahmad-ibn-Hanbal, Vol. 3, p.17, and other books from the Sunnite School and Shi 'ah School mentioned in Ihqaq-ul-Haqq, Vol 9, p. 309 to 375

5. Ma' ani-ul-Akhbar, p. 180 & 'Uyun-i-Akbar-ur-Rida, Vol. 1, p. 207

Surah Al-’Anbiya’, Chapter 21

(Revealed in Mecca)

No. 21 (112 verses in 7 sections)

The Content of the Surah

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful

1. This Surah, as its name indicates, is the Surah of prophets, since there are mentioned the names of sixteen Divine prophets in it, some of whom are referred to by several main points of their qualities, while some others are only hinted to here.

These divine prophets are: Moses, Aaron, Abraham, Lot, Isaac, Jacob, Noah, David, Solomon, Job, Idris (Inoch), Zul-Kifl, Yunus (Jonah), Zachariah, and Yahya (John).

2. The specialties of the Meccan Suras, the contents of which are upon the religious doctrine, and Origin and End in particular, are quitely seen in this Surah.

3. Another part of the Surah speaks about the triumph of ‘right’ upon ‘wrong’, Monotheism upon polytheism, and the troops of justice over the forces of ’Iblis.

The attractive matter is that this Surah has begun with some intensive warnings unto those mischievous people who are neglectful and unaware about the final reckoning and record, and its concluding part has also been completed with some other warnings in the same field.

The Virtue of Recitation of the Surah

A tradition has been narrated from the holy Prophet of Islam (S) who said:

“Whoever recites Surah Al-’Anbiya’ Allah will take his reckoning easy, (and also On the Day of Hereafter He will not reckon his deeds strictly), and every prophet whose name has been mentioned in the Qur’an will greet him and shake his hands.”1

It is clear that recitation is usually a preliminary stage for contemplation, and contemplation is a preliminary step for Faith and practice.

Notes

1. Nur-uth-Thaqalayn, the Commentary, P. 412